I'd like to quote from a Lisa Lombardi, whose teacher trained sister home schools her kids, who wrote a letter to the editor in Feb 2000 Atlantic Monthly:

..."Her children are bright, wth good manners and lovely, lively spirits. The five year old can already read and do his numbers. Howver, by the end of their twelve year home schooling process they will know nothing about geology. They will know nothing about evolution or natural selection, which are the cornerstones of modern biology, from ecology to genetics and gene mapping. They will speak only English.They will have been taught that their way of belief and behavior is the only way, with no exposure to other cultures, other beliefs, exept to be told that those ways are wrong. And that includes not only other systems such as Islam and animism but also Catholocism and, indeed, other kinds of Protestantism, which are also anathema to my sister. Those children will know a great deal about the Second Amendment and nothing about the First, which guarantees freedom of, and freedom from, religtion. They will be taught that the United States is a Christian, rather than a secular, nation.

-- joj (jump@off.c), March 25, 2002

Answers

Will you please give me more informatinon about cons (stuff against) homeschooling. I appreciate it. Thank You!! Faye Crampchoppe

-- Faye Crampchopper (sbfaye@yahoo.com), January 15, 2003.

Socialy, home schooling children are quite deprived. They ditch traditional schooling because they didn't get along with one guy or got "bullied". Thats like going to get a job (that pays well), getting excepted, and then leaving because their boss is an idiot. Also, children taught at home do are not exposed to all technology and technological processes that other children are. This is some of my momentary research and opinions. To recieve more of my available research, please e-mail me.

-- Bob Peterson (jlo_synchro@hotmail.com), March 22, 2003.

Amind is a terrable thing to waste. What person could be so presumptuous as to think that he or she alone can develop the mind of a child.

-- Russell Warchola (rwarchola@studentmsubillings.edu), October 04, 2003.

There is a gross misconception that all parents who home school their children do so for religious reasons or to shelter their children from the "real world."

There are many reasons one may choose to home school his or her children (both positive and negative), but perhaps one of the greatest reasons I have found in my research is the sheer number of hours wasted within each public school day. Far more material can be covered, in far greater detail, in less time, in a home school setting simply due to markedly reduced class size. For elementary school-aged children, the length of the school day is simply too long to be age-appropriate. Compound this with the ever growing number of hours of homework required and you have the makings for a burned out, frustrated child at a very young age. This issue (along with issues concerning the inappropriate, but all too often used, worksheet approach to education) are now discussed at length in early childhood college curriculums throughout the country.

Furthermore, not all home schooled children lack adequate social opportunities. It is the responsibility of the home schooling parent to insure that his or her child is given opportunities to interact with other children on a nearly daily basis. It is also the responsibility of the home schooling parent to expose the child to persons with more experience than the parent has in particular educational areas. It is foolish to think only one person can educate a child, therefore home schooled children need exposure to a variety of adults who know about a variety of subjects.

To adequately home school a child is extremely difficult, but can and is being done by many parents throughout the world. The problems listed by others on this site are not problems with home schooling in general, but problems with the methods of some home schooling parents.

Anyone considering home schooling his or her children would do well to research current home schooling trends. They should also commit to consistently educating themselves (quite possibly in college level courses)throughout their lives, in order to keep up with everchanging research and increased standards for children at each grade level.

To be adequately home schooled the child must be exposed to different cultures, have opportunities to interact with other children in a variety of settings, keep abreast of new technologies, and have exposure to foreign languages. Students taught in this way, whether at home or at public/private school, are well-prepared for whatever comes next in their lives.

And just for the record, home schoolers consitently score higher on the SATs and have higher enrollment in colleges and universities than public school students. But don't take my word for it... do some research yourself... it's good practice if you have any intention of home schooling your child.

-- GiGi (gzpshaw@hotmail.com), February 02, 2004.

The vast majority of people who graduate from American public schools speak no language other than English, and some have only an elementary understanding of that.

A child's parent is able to give the child the individual attention that once once afforded only to nobility. With resources like the library and Internet, a mother or father could pass on just as much, if not more, information provided by the State.

My children are too young for school, but I have already begun home schooling them. When they are older, it will be their choice whether or not they want to attend the local public or private school or continue at home. I know several children who have been home schooled or are currently being home schooled. One girl in particular speaks her native English better than most adults in this country, German, Spanish, and is currently studying Dutch and Cantonese. She enrolled in public schools a few years ago, but found the classes too slow-paced and the teachers too focused on keeping the students in their seats. Her mother/teacher is the daughter of immigrants and never received a high school diploma or GED.

It is time that this country stopped putting so much emphasis on State control of individuals. We must take more responsibility for ourselves and our children and our children's education. A child's mind is something too precious to be thrown to a group of strangers who have never met the child before.

-- J Biscuits (thefilthohgodthefilth@yahoo.com), February 05, 2004.